Hay Wet hay?

There would be a high risk of mold, especially if you store it in a garbage bag & outside. Hay should be stored in a dry place & in something like a cardboard box.

It's always in a dry place, just sometimes people decide to move it.
I feel like it should be fine in a bag because the hay I used to buy comes in bags (oxbow)

Unless you live in a very dry climate there is a risk of the hay molding when stored in something airtight like plastic bags, or outside with any kind of humidity.

Many peoplee store it in their garage, I feel like that would be the same as outside the garage, except in the garage my dad smokes

Hay will mold when it gets wet, and you won't always notice it before it's bad enough to make the pigs sick. You should throw out anything that's gotten wet.

Linda, from KMS Hayloft, says that to store hay, you should remove it from the plastic bag it's shipped in, put it back in the cardboard box, and poke lots of holes in the box so there's air circulation through it. Otherwise, there's enough dampness left even in the dried hay to allow mold to grow. Even if you don't buy KMS hay, that's a good way to store it. It's what I use here in hot, humid Houston -- my hay is stored in my garage and is fine there.

So, @jessieisabel, you need to get it out of the plastic bags and into something that will breathe.

I think it wouldn't be wise to use the hay if it has gotten wet. My husband has worked with cutting hay and whenever rain came it was a huge panic to get it picked up and stored.

Why take that chance if you can just buy another bag and possibly a better storage container to keep it from future incidents where it might be placed outside? A bag of hay costs a lot less than bringing a big to a vet.

I dumped all the wet hay right away, I'll look into getting something else to store it in. The bag is open though which is why I'm wondering why air flow would be an issue (the hay I buy is from a farm - alwayys stored outside?)

I definitely do not mean to be rude or pushy I just heard other things and so I have lots of questions!

Thanks for all your help

Air circulation is important because it doesn't trap the moisture. I have my hay in a huge rubbermaid tub right beside my cage and I have the lid under the tub so everything is exposed to air. Moisture will ruin hay very quickly and you will have dumped your money down the toilet.

I wouldn't buy hay from a place that stores it outside. The places I buy baled hay from stores it in a barn.

I got the hay for free thankfully so it isn't a big deal that I have to throw some away (I'm getting rid of everything that even got the slightest drop of water or was beside the wet stuff)
I told my mom I needed to store it in a cardboard box and she brought home two big ones. I'll transfer it soon. We'll keep one in the garage and one in the basement.
I do believe they store the hay in a barn @pinky I wasn't thinking right when I wrote that haha

Question, should I poke holes in the cardboard or is it fine as is?
Thanks for all your help guys!

You should poke holes. You need to have ventelation for the whole thing. I keep mine in a thin cloth laundry bag. I know some use those laundry hampers.

Poke holes in the cardboard -- the more air the better.

And actually, you were partially right when you said that some hay is stored in the field. But it's covered where the farmer can manage to do that, or the bales are rolled in plastic. When they're stored in the open, the farmer usually comes along and rips the outer moldy layers off so the cattle can get to the better hay on the inside.

The big difference in providing moldy hay for food is that cattle are huge compared to guinea pigs, and can ingest quite a bit more noxious stuff without ill effects than a guinea pig can.

I'll transfer it all tonight! And do a lot of hole poking haha. I don't wanna hurt my babies in any way